mordant means having or showing a sharp or critical quality. It carries an Arena rating of 1869, earned across 16 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mordant ranks #826 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #997 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,225 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,581 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
mordant is pronounced /ˈmɔːdn̩t/.
Why “mordant” is a great word
Bitingly sarcastic or caustic in wit; also, a substance, such as a metallic salt, that fixes a dye or etches a surface. From French *mordant* ("biting"), present participle of *mordre* ("to bite"), from Latin *mordēre* ("to bite, sting"). Unlike "sardonic," which is a scornful mockery from a distance, or "caustic," a general burning criticism, *mordant* is a precise, corrosive incision. It is the alum that makes a color permanently adhere to wool, the acid bath that bites a design into a zinc plate, and the exact, devastating turn of phrase that etches a truth into the memory—a recognition that some impressions are made permanent only through a controlled application of bitterness.
Etymology
From French mordant, from Latin mordeō. Doublet of mordent.
adj
- Having or showing a sharp or critical quality.
- Serving to fix a dye to a fiber.
noun
- Any substance used to facilitate the fixing of a dye to a fibre; usually a metallic compound which reacts with the dye using chelation.e.g.“In dyeing two mediums are required, the colouring matter and the mordant which fixes the dye in the wool.” — 1964, L.F. Salzman, English Industries of the Middle Ages, page 208:
- Any corrosive substance used in etching.
- A glutinous size used as a ground for gilding, to make the gold leaf adhere.
verb
- To subject to the action of, or imbue with, a mordant.e.g.“Mordant these goods for dyeing.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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